He would have done it just for you. As He hung on the Cross, He willingly suffered punishment for every one of your sins, so that you might be redeemed. Anytime you get the slightest tweak of self pity, grumpiness, or think everything is just so crappy and you have nothing to be thankful for, remember this.
None of us merit Heaven… try bringing that up at the dinner table today. Give thanks that He gave you a chance, by cooperating with His grace, to someday get there.
Give thanks for your sufferings. This year has been a tremendous opportunity to get ourselves more properly ordered, and to suffer well. There are so many extra graces available right now. These sufferings are permitted so that you might use them to draw yourself closer to Christ, by uniting them with His sacrifice. When properly ordered, you learn to see these difficulties as an honor, a participation in His Passion. Look what His apostles endured. Look what His Mother endured. Have patience and persevere.
God loves you more than you are capable of knowing while you yet reside on this mortal coil. He yearns for you to love Him back, through zeal, obedience, adoration, exultation, and… thanksgiving. He wants you to be with Him forever.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Thank you very much for this, Mark. It helps put things in perspective. We have so much to be thankful for, in being Catholic. It is an honor.
Good post. Without Our Lord, without the promise of Heaven, there is nothing really to be thankful for. But with Him, we can even be thankful for what we don’t like, knowing that He specializes in drawing good from evil.
Happy Thanksgiving, Mark, and thank you for this blog.
Happy Thanksgiving, Mark !